| Exclusive: U.S. weighs ramping up deployment of special forces to Syria Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:34 PM PDT  By Phil Stewart, Warren Strobel and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. administration is considering a plan to greatly increase the number of American special operations forces deployed to Syria as it looks to accelerate recent gains against Islamic State, U.S. officials told Reuters. The proposal is among the military options being prepared for President Barack Obama, who is also weighing an increase in the number of American troops in Iraq. The proposal appears to be the latest sign of growing confidence in the ability of U.S.-backed forces inside Syria and Iraq to claw back territory from the hardline Sunni Islamist group.
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| Obama: 'Madmen' must not be allowed to get nuclear material Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:41 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton, Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama urged world leaders on Friday to do more to safeguard vulnerable nuclear facilities to prevent "madmen" from groups like Islamic State from getting their hands on a nuclear weapon or a radioactive "dirty bomb." Speaking at a nuclear security summit in Washington, Obama said the world faced a persistent and evolving threat of nuclear terrorism despite progress in reducing such risks. Obama said no group had succeeded in obtaining bomb materials but that al Qaeda had long sought them, and he cited actions by Islamic State militants behind recent attacks in Paris and Brussels that raised similar concerns.
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| Protests mount before EU-Turkey migrant deal takes effect Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:41 AM PDT  By Dasha Afanasieva and Karolina Tagaris ISTANBUL/ATHENS (Reuters) - Migrants protested on a Greek island and rights groups raised legal objections on Friday three days before a disputed EU deal to return rejected asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey was due to go into action, with neither side completely ready. Hundreds of migrants and refugees on the island of Chios tore through a razor wire fence surrounding their holding center and set off for the port in protest against planned deportation, police said. Clashes broke out at the site late on Thursday, during which windows were smashed and 10 people were injured lightly, a police official said.
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| Brussels airport restart delayed after police demands Posted: 01 Apr 2016 12:48 PM PDT  By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Brussels main airport is likely to reopen on Sunday after police and the government resolved a dispute over security following the March 22 bomb attacks, agreeing that all passengers would be screened on arrival. The airport has not handled passenger flights since two suspected Islamist militants carried out the suicide attacks. The airport, whose departure hall was destroyed in the blasts, has built a temporary check-in zone, conducted tests and had declared itself ready to restart flights, with a provisional restart set for Friday evening.
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| Exclusive: North Korea to pursue nuclear and missile programs - envoy Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:01 AM PDT  By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea will pursue its nuclear and ballistic missile program in defiance of the United States and its allies, a top Pyongyang envoy said on Friday, adding that a state of "semi-war" now existed on the divided Korean peninsula. North Korea conducted a fourth nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket in February.
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| U.S. 'concerned' about Israel destroying Palestinian homes: spokeswoman Posted: 01 Apr 2016 02:52 PM PDT  The United States is "concerned" about Israel's demolition of Arab buildings in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, a State Department spokeswoman said on Friday, adding that it raised questions about Israel's commitment to a two-state political solution to the Palestinian conflict. Israeli forces bulldozed a school in the Bedouin village of Khirbet Tana in the West Bank early in March, leaving 23 children with nowhere to study in the community overlooking the Jordan valley. The school had been built by the European Union in an effort to help the community of about 40 families.
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| Van Gaal sets United's sights on Champions League place Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:45 PM PDT  Manchester United have edged their way back into contention for a Champions League place in recent weeks, with manager Louis van Gaal declaring that a top-three finish is still realistic. Van Gaal has been buoyed by the public support in recent days of Alex Ferguson, who called on United fans to be patient as the current manager awaits his first trophy with the club after almost two full seasons in charge. Having been six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City in mid-February, United are now just one point behind going into the weekendâ s fixtures.
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| US drone strike targets senior Shebab leader in Somalia Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:42 PM PDT  The United States has conducted another drone strike in Somalia, this time targeting a senior Shebab leader thought to have been plotting attacks against Americans in Mogadishu, the Pentagon said Friday. The announcement came shortly before President Barack Obama offered detailed remarks about America's controversial drone program, saying some criticism of it had been "legitimate," and acknowledging there was "no doubt" the unmanned aircraft have killed innocent people in the past. Thursday's strike was conducted in cooperation with Somali officials and targeted Hassan Ali Dhoore, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.
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| Haiti protest demands justice for 3 slain deaf women Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:42 PM PDT PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Hundreds of protesters marched in Haiti's capital on Friday to demand justice following the brutal killings of three deaf women who were tortured, stoned and left in a gully by attackers. |
| US official warns Puerto Rico resources targeted amid crisis Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:40 PM PDT  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Secretary of the Interior warned Friday during an official visit to Puerto Rico that the island's protected natural resources could be targeted for private development in a new push to lift the U.S. territory out of a dire economic crisis.
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| Security Council unanimously backs move to deploy UN police in Burundi Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:40 PM PDT  The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution that lays the groundwork for deploying a UN police presence in Burundi to help quell nearly a year of violence. The council is under pressure to take action in Burundi where the descent into violence has raised fears of mass atrocities, similar to those that convulsed neighboring Rwanda in 1994.
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| Obama acknowledges civilian deaths by US drone strikes Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:37 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama acknowledged Friday that "civilians were killed that shouldn't have been" in past U.S. drone strikes, but said the administration is now "very cautious" about striking where women or children are present.
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| Catcher Teagarden suspended 80 games for drug violation Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:33 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Former major league catcher Taylor Teagarden, among the athletes accused of using performance-enhancing drugs in a December report by Al Jazeera, was suspended for 80 games on Friday by Major League Baseball.
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| El Salvador OKs emergency prisons package to aid gang fight Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:26 PM PDT SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Lawmakers approved a package of emergency measures Friday giving the government freer rein to manage this Central American nation's gang-dominated prisons. |
| U.N. Security Council asks for U.N. police options for Burundi Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:18 PM PDT  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council asked U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday to provide options for a police deployment to Burundi, where simmering political violence has stoked fears the small African state could spiral into ethnic conflict. Burundi has been embroiled in political violence since President Pierre Nkurunziza said last April he would seek a third term, which his opponents said was illegal. The 15-member council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution after language asking the United Nations to work with the government of Burundi on disarmament was removed to appease the United States, which is a council veto power.
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| Castroneves earns pole on fast day at Phoenix qualifying Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:13 PM PDT AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — IndyCar's return to the desert got off to a blazing start. |
| Outside experts say at least 17 burned at Mexican dump Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:07 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) — A third investigation of a dump site in southern Mexico found evidence of a large fire in which at least 17 bodies were burned, a member of a six-person fire expert team said Friday. |
| England's Watson sent off as Premiership leaders Saracens beat Bath Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:03 PM PDT  England wing Anthony Watson was sent off as his Bath side were beaten 30-10 at home to English Premiership leaders Saracens on Friday. The Grand Slam-winner saw red in the 49th minute at the Recreation Ground for what referee Greg Garner ruled a dangerous tackle when Saracens full-back Alex Goode, an England colleague, caught a high ball inside his own half. Bath were then, temporarily, reduced to 13 men when scrum-half Chris Cook was sin-binned and Saracens made the most of their advantage.
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| Obama says Putin's military focus has slowed nuclear arms cuts Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:00 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin's focus on building up the military at the expense of economic development has slowed progress on a next phase of nuclear arms reductions. "My preference would be to bring down further our nuclear arsenal," Obama told reporters at the conclusion of a summit on reducing nuclear proliferation. Putin did not attend the summit. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Jeff Mason; Editing by James Dalgleish) |
| Obama: Global firms nervous about doing business in Iran Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:59 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says Iran has to convince international companies that it is safe to do business there as it gains relief from sanctions by complying with the nuclear deal reached last year. |
| US military training 'dozens' of moderate Syrian rebels Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:59 PM PDT  The US military is currently working with "dozens" of Syrian rebels under a revamped train-and-equip program implemented after a much-criticized initiative collapsed last year, an official said Friday. The Pentagon drew heavy fire last October after admitting its $500-million efforts to train entire units of "moderate" Syrians to fight Islamic State jihadists had floundered, with numbers of trainees falling massively short of the planned 5,000 or so. Recruitment was slow, in particular because the rebels had to pass stringent background checks to weed out extremists and many objected to being forced to pledge to fight only the IS group and not President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
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| China's Sui, Han lead after pairs short program at worlds Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:56 PM PDT  BOSTON (AP) — China's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong were asked about their chemistry after taking the lead in pairs at the world championships with a lively short program.
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| Poroshenko bemoans timing of Dutch vote on Ukraine Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:54 PM PDT  Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday bemoaned the timing of an April 6 referendum in the Netherlands on a treaty on closer ties between the European Union and Ukraine saying it comes as Europe is debating its own future. "The real purpose for the internal Dutch discussion is about the future of the European Union and internal political clashes," Poroshenko told a news conference at the end of a nuclear security summit in Washington. This is not a timely referendum." The referendum is not binding, but most Dutch parties have said they would respect a rejection by voters, which could plunge the European Union into crisis when tensions with Russia run higher than at any time since the Cold War.
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| El Salvador passes law cracking down on jailed gang bosses Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:54 PM PDT  Lawmakers in El Salvador on Friday passed a law imposing heavy prison restrictions on convicted bosses of the violent gangs that have made the country one of the most dangerous in the world. President Salvador Sanchez Ceren is to sign into action the government-sponsored law, which aims to prevent locked-up gang leaders from continuing to give orders to their followers on the outside via smuggled phones. El Salvador's vice president, its minister of justice and security, and its minister of defense sat in as the text was passed by 83 of the 84 lawmakers present in the unicameral congress.
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| Top Asian News 10:53 p.m. GMT Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:53 PM PDT SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired a short-range missile into the sea and tried to jam GPS navigation signals in South Korea on Friday, Seoul officials said, hours after U.S., South Korean and Japanese leaders pledged to work closer together to prevent North Korea from advancing its nuclear and missile programs. Officials said the attempt to jam GPS signals, which began Thursday, did not cause any major disruptions of South Korean military, aviation and sea transport and telecommunication systems. However, more than 130 fishing boats reported problems with their navigation systems and some were forced to return to their ports, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said. |
| Obama says comments like Trump's show ignorance about world Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:53 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says suggestions from people like Donald Trump that South Korea and Japan should develop nuclear weapons show a lack of understanding of the world.
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| Obama: troubled by trends in Turkey against free press, democracy Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:52 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday said he was troubled by trends in Turkey against a free press and said he had urged President Tayyip Erdogan not to pursue a strategy of repression and shutting down democratic debate in his country. Obama, speaking to reporters at the conclusion of a nuclear security summit, said Turkey's cooperation with the United States had been critical on a number of international issues despite disagreements between the two countries. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Timothy Gardner; Editing by James Dalgleish)
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| OAS warns of 'semi-democratic' presidential election in Peru Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:49 PM PDT  LIMA, Peru (AP) — The head of the Organization of American States says next week's presidential election in Peru could lack credibility unless two recently-disqualified candidates are allowed to run.
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| Obama warns IS 'madmen' would gladly use nukes Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:41 PM PDT  Extremist "madmen" from the Islamic State group would not hesitate to launch a catastrophic nuclear attack, US President Barack Obama warned global leaders meeting in Washington Friday. Hoping to galvanize global action to prevent extremists from getting hold of nuclear weapons or material for a "dirty bomb," Obama painted an apocalyptic picture of the impact of a nuclear terror attack. "ISIL has already used chemical weapons, including mustard gas, in Syria and Iraq," Obama said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
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| U.S. to act to address Iran concerns on sanctions relief: Obama Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:40 PM PDT The United States will address some Iranian concerns that it has not been able to take full advantage of sanctions relief under last year's nuclear deal but Iran must also reassure businesses, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday. "Some of the concerns that Iran has expressed, we are going to work with them to address," he told a news conference. |
| Obama seeks improved intelligence-sharing to prevent terrorist attacks Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:30 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday at the conclusion of a nuclear security summit that he had invited the participating nations to work on improving intelligence-sharing to prevent terrorist attacks. "At our session on ISIL this afternoon there was widespread agreement that defeating terrorist groups like ISIL requires more information sharing," Obama told a news conference, using an acronym for the militant group Islamic State. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by James Dalgleish) |
| Obama says much nuclear material needs to be secured globally Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:28 PM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday that world leaders at a nuclear security summit had agreed to keep strengthening their nuclear facilities against cyber attacks but that a lot of nuclear material needs to be secured. "There is still a great deal of nuclear and radioactive material around the world that needs to be secured. Nuclear arsenals are expanding in some countries with more small tactical nuclear weapons which could be at greater risk of theft," Obama told reporters. |
| Security Council set to vote on UN police presence in Burundi Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:27 PM PDT The UN Security Council is expected to unanimously adopt a French draft resolution Friday that would lay the groundwork for a UN police presence to help quell violence in Burundi, diplomats said. The council will meet at 2300 GMT for the vote that caps days of tough negotiations between France and the United States over the wording of the measure. The draft resolution would request that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon report back to the council in 15 days with options for the deployment of the police presence. |
| New Ebola death in Liberian capital weeks after all-clear Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:25 PM PDT  A 30-year-old woman has died in the Liberian capital after contracting Ebola, officials said Friday, more than two months after the epidemic was declared over in the country. "Lab results confirm a new case of Ebola virus disease in Liberia -- a 30-year-old woman who died yesterday afternoon while being transferred to a hospital in the capital Monrovia," the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement. A resurgence of Ebola in a rural Guinean community has killed seven people in the past few weeks, but it is not known if the new Liberian case is linked.
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| Honduras captures alleged Sinaloa drug cartel figure Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:10 PM PDT TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduran authorities say an Italian-Argentine man suspected of running a Mexican drug cartel's local finances has been arrested in the Central American nation. |
| Lexi Thompson takes early 2nd-round lead in ANA Inspiration Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:08 PM PDT  RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — Lexi Thompson birdied the final hole for a 4-under 68 and the clubhouse lead Friday halfway through the second round of the ANA Inspiration.
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| UN, France vow zero impunity in C. Africa sex abuse scandal Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:04 PM PDT  French President Francois Hollande and UN chief Ban Ki-moon vowed zero impunity Friday for troops accused in a Central African Republic sex scandal, as the United Nations pledged to stamp out abuse during peacekeeping missions. The commitments came a day after the United Nations said more than 100 victims had come forward in the conflict-torn country with horrifying new accounts of sexual abuse -- including bestiality -- by UN peacekeepers and French forces. In light of the new allegations, Hollande and the UN secretary-general "expressed the desire to establish the truth, and to reject any impunity," the French presidency said in a statement.
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| Ukraine president confident Dutch voters won't reject EU pact Posted: 01 Apr 2016 03:02 PM PDT  Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko expressed confidence Friday that Dutch voters next week will not reject his country's cooperation deal with the European Union. The Netherlands is to hold a referendum on Wednesday on the accord, which puts Ukraine on the path towards eventual EU membership, after a grassroots eurosceptic campaign. Poroshenko met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on Friday, and afterwards stressed the friendship between their countries.
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| Saudi-owned newspaper Beirut office attacked after cartoon Posted: 01 Apr 2016 02:59 PM PDT  Protesters attacked the Beirut office of Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat on Friday in response to a cartoon published by the paper criticizing the Lebanese state. The cartoon depicted the Lebanese flag with the words "an April fool..." written above it. Inside the flag were the words "the Lebanese state", which form a rhyming pair in Arabic.
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| Thousands flock to screening of provocative Hong Kong film Posted: 01 Apr 2016 02:51 PM PDT  Thousands of moviegoers on Friday flocked to mass screenings of Hong Kong film "Ten Years", a provocative futuristic portrayal of the city that has riled China. Released at the end of last year, it has been a box office hit locally -- despite only getting a short run in cinemas -- and has raised hackles on the mainland amid increasing fears in Hong Kong over Beijing's tightening grip. The series of five short films, each by a different Hong Kong director, depicts the city in 2025 where young children in military uniform prowl the streets, the local language of Cantonese is disappearing and one protester goes as far as self-immolation.
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